Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-09-22
Stood On Holy Ground
AND PAID ELOQUENT TRIBUTE
TO THE FOREFATHERS.
President Cleveland's Address at
Philadelphia-AF Fine Effort
Squeezed by a Patriarch
and Kissed by an Inn
pulsive Woman.

and Kissed by an Inn
pulsive Woman.
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 1.-THE clos
ing day of the constitutional celebra-
tion was favored with as charming
weather as that of the first two days.
The throngs still fingered, and the
streets presented the same crowded ap-
pearance. The exercises of Saturday
were held on Independence square,
under the shadows of the liberty bell,
which, proclaimed liberty through
out the landn hundred years ago,
The decorations still remain on the
buildings, and the bright colors of the
bunting, together with the bright
dresses worn by the women and chill
dren, made beautiful picture. Presi-
dent Cleveland had public reception,
Saturday morning, at the City Hall.
Here he shook hands with thousands.
Secretaries Bayard and Fairchild stood
behind the President. The first to
grasp the Presidents hand was hale
old man who gave the chief magis
trate hearty squeeze. One handsome
ly dressed lady of about So years, i'm
pulsively threw her arms around his
neck and before the astOnished Presi-
dent could recover from the surprise
occasioned by the act, she gave him a
resounding kiss squarely on the lips
and passed laughingly on.
The Presidents speech delivered at
the exercises was as follows:
I deem it very great honor and
pleasure to participate in these i'm
pressive exercises. Every American
citizen should, on this centennial day,
rejoice in his citizenship. He will not
find the cause of his rejoicing in the
antiquity of his country-for among
the nations of the earth his stands with
the youngest. He will not find it in
the glitter and in the pomp that be-
deck monarch and dazzle abiect and
servile subjects-for in his country the
people themselves are the rulers. He
will not find it in the story of bloody
foreign conquests-for his government
has been content to care for its own
domain and people. He should re-
joice because the work of framing oul
constitution was completed 100 years
ago to-day, and because, when com
pleted, it established a free government
He should rejoice because this consti
tuition and government have survived
with so many blessings, and have dem
onstrated so fully the strength anG
value of popular rule. He should re-
joice in the wonderous growth anC
achievement of the past 100 years, anC
| also in the glorious promise of the con
| stitution through centuries to COME
We shall fail to be duly thankful fo
all that was done for us 100 years ago
unless we realize the difficulties of tn
work then in hand and the danger
avoided in the task of forming "a NOR
| perfect union" between disjointed ant
unharmonious States, with interest,"
and opinions radically diverse anC
Istubbornly maintained. The perplexi
ties of the convention which undertook
the labor of preparing our constitution
are apparent in the earnest words O
one of the most illustrious of its mem
bers: "The small progress we have
made after four or five weeks of cIost
attendance and continued reasoning
with each other, our different senti
ments on almost every question
several of the last producing as man,
noes as yeas-is, methinks, q melan
choly proof of the imperfection of tht
human understanding. We indeed
seem to feel our want of political wis
dom since we have been running abou
in search Oft. We have gone back tt
ancient history for models of govern
ment, and examined the different form:
of those republics which, having beer
| formed with the seeds of their own dis
solution, now no longer exist. In the
situation Of this assembly, cropping, as
| it were, in the dark, to find politica
truth, and scarce able to distinguish il
when presented to us, how has it hap
pened that we have not hitherto once
thought of humbly applying to the
Father of Light to illuminate oul
understanding? I have lived, sir, 6
long time, and the longer live the
more convincing proofs 1 see of the
truths that God governs in the affairs
of men. And ifa sparrow cannot fal
to the ground without His notice, is il
probable that an empire can rise with.
out His notice? We have been assured
ar, in the sacred writings, that, except
the Lord build the house, they labor in
vain that build it. I firmly believe
this and l also believe that without His
concurring aid We shall succeed in this
political building no better than the
builders of Babel. We shall be divided
by our little partial interests, oul
projects will be confounded, and we
ourselves shall become reproach and
a by-word down to future ages; and
what is more, mankind may hereafter,
from this unfortunate instance, despair
of establishing governments by human
wisdom, and leave it to chance, wal
and conquest"
In the face ofall discouragements OF
the republic, they labored on for four
weary, long months in alternate hope
and fear, but always with rugged re-
solve. never faltering, in a sturdy en-
deavor sanctified by prophetic sense
of the value to posterity oftheir success
and always with unfiinching faith in
the principles which made the founda-
tion of a government by the people.
At last their task was done. It is re-
lated that upon the back of the chair
occupied by Washington, as president
of the convention, a sun was painted
and that as the delegates were signing
the complete constitution, one of them
said: II have often and often, In the
course of the session and in the solicit
&szA II 4. n